Can divorce hurt your career?

On behalf of Vic Hill of Hill Macdonald, LLC posted in Divorce on Friday, July 20, 2012.

Atlanta readers who have gone through a divorce - and even those who haven't - know that separating from your spouse is a long, frustrating, stressful experience. As such, it can affect many other areas of your life, including your friendships and family relationships and your performance at work.

But some people believe that the effect of divorce on a career isn't necessarily a negative one. In fact, many family law attorneys and experts believe that a split can be a positive experience, allowing former spouses to focus on their career goals and dreams instead of on a painful, dysfunctional relationship.

Regardless of whether that is the case, the actual divorce process can easily job performance. Employees who are under stress are less likely to be productive, and the time constraints of the legal divorce process can cause them to miss multiple days of work. Further, their employer may be subpoenaed for information pertaining to the divorce, which can cause tension in the workplace. If you are in this situation, it may help to be honest and up front with your boss about your divorce and any foreseeable issues that may come up and affect your attendance or job performance.

The effect of a divorce may be more pronounced on small business owners, especially if the spouses own the company together. Although the legal process will dictate the division of that business, the interim period can be devastating on company performance and client relationships. For more information on how to protect your small business from divorce, please see our earlier family law blog post on the topic.

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